Examining styles of learning can increase your self-awareness.  The three generally recognized learning styles are auditory,  visual, and kinesthetic.  Most of us learn by using a combination of these styles,  with one style tending to be more dominant. The auditory

(by hearing) learner is one who retains information better  listening to an explanation from a boss or coworker or by  hearing a lecture or listening to a CD. People who are auditory learners have difficulty retaining information presented  in written format. The visual (by seeing) learner, as you  would expect, learns better by seeing the information, by  reading or looking at drawings, diagrams, or films. Visual  learners find it difficult to follow lectures unless visual aids  are used with the presentation. The kinesthetic (involving  movement) learner assimilates knowledge better through  hands-on activities, such as experiments, games, lab exercises, and movement—in other words, learning by doing.  Such people have difficulty grasping a procedure until they  have performed it themselves. 

Understanding these learning styles will help prepare you  for your role as a patient educator and advocate. You know  that most people have one or two preferred styles of learning. If a patient does not seem to easily understand the information you share in one format, for example, by talking to  them, try presenting the information in another format such  as with visuals or a set of written instructions, or providing  a learning-by-doing experience such as having them practice  a procedure under your supervision.